Methods for measuring electrical properties of electro-optic displays

ABSTRACT

A method for driving electro-optic displays including electro-optic material disposed between a common electrode and a backplane. The backplane includes an array of pixel electrodes, each coupled to a transistor. A display controller applies waveforms to the pixel electrodes. The method includes applying first measurement waveforms to a first portion of the pixel electrodes. During each frame of the first measurement waveforms, the same time-dependent voltages are applied to each pixel electrode of the first portion of pixel electrodes. The method includes determining the impedance of the electro-optic material in proximity to the first portion of pixel electrodes based on a measurement of the current flowing through a current measurement circuit and the time-dependent voltages applied to each pixel electrode during the first measurement waveforms, and selecting driving waveforms based on the impedance of the electro-optic material in proximity to the first portion of pixel electrodes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Pat. ApplicationNo. 63/293,947 filed on Dec. 27, 2021 and U.S. Provisional Pat.Application No. 63/301,747 filed Jan. 21, 2022. The entire contents ofthe aforementioned provisional patent applications are incorporatedherein by reference. Further, the entire contents of any patent,published application, or other published work referenced herein areincorporated by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to methods for measuring electrical properties ofelectro-optic displays. More specifically, this invention relates tomethods for measuring electrical properties of active matrixelectrophoretic display modules.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electrophoretic display media, generally characterized by the movementof particles through an applied electric field, are highly reflective,can be made bistable, can be scaled to a large area, and consume verylittle power. Encapsulated electrophoretic displays also enable thedisplay to be printed. These properties allow encapsulatedelectrophoretic display media to be used in many applications for whichtraditional electronic displays are not suitable, such as flexibledisplays.

One particular application for displaying screens are input devices,such as touch screens or keypads, or writing tablets. In many cases, itis desirable to sense the state of the display in order to digitize theinput. For example, measuring and analyzing certain properties of thedisplay may enable detection of the location of the input. A responsiveevent or action may then be generated.

Also, the electrical properties of encapsulated electrophoretic displaymedia may vary in response to environmental factors, such as temperatureand humidity. In some circumstances, in order to achieve a repeatableoptical state in the display, it may be desirable to compensate thedrive waveform in response to changes in electrical properties of thepolymeric materials that comprise encapsulated electrophoretic displaymedia. Thus, it is desirable to measure the display parameters thataffect waveform compensation scheme. Use of external display sensors,however, may increase cost of the display and complicate themanufacturing process. In addition, external sensors may not accuratelymeasure the parameters inside the display.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As such, there exists a need to efficiently and accurately measure theelectrical properties of a display, and to apply waveforms to thedisplay pixels according to the measured electrical properties.

Accordingly, in one aspect, the subject matter presented herein providesfor a method for driving an electro-optic display that includes a layerof electro-optic material disposed between a common electrode and abackplane. The backplane includes an array of pixel electrodes, and eachpixel electrode is coupled to a pixel transistor. A display controllercircuit applies waveforms to the array of pixel electrodes by applyingone or more time-dependent voltages between the common electrode and thearray of pixel electrodes via the pixel transistors. The method fordriving includes applying first measurement waveforms including one ormore frames to a first portion of pixel electrodes of the array of pixelelectrodes. During each frame of the first measurement waveforms thesame time-dependent voltages are applied to each pixel electrode of thefirst portion of pixel electrodes. The method also includes measuring afirst current flowing through a current measurement circuit coupledbetween the common electrode and an output of the display controllercircuit that applies time-dependent voltages to the common electrode,and determining a first impedance of the electro-optic material inproximity to the first portion of pixel electrodes based on the firstcurrent flowing through the current measurement circuit and thetime-dependent voltages applied to each pixel electrode of the firstportion of pixel electrodes during the first measurement waveforms. Themethod also includes selecting first driving waveforms to apply to eachpixel electrode of the first portion of pixel electrodes based on thefirst impedance of the electro-optic material in proximity to the firstportion of pixel electrodes, and applying the first driving waveforms tothe first portion of pixel electrodes. The first driving waveformscomprise time-dependent voltages sufficient to change an optical stateof the electro-optic display in proximity to the first portion of pixelelectrodes.

In some embodiments, the current measurement circuit includes aresistive element and a differential voltage amplifier, where a firstinput of the differential voltage amplifier is connected to a firstterminal of the resistive element, and a second input of thedifferential voltage amplifier is connected to a second terminal of theresistive element.

In some embodiments, the time-dependent voltages applied to each pixelelectrode of the first portion of pixel electrodes comprise a uniformvoltage pulse. In some embodiments, the time-dependent voltages appliedto each pixel electrode of the first portion of pixel electrodes includea first voltage pulse having a first polarity, and a second voltagepulse having a second polarity opposite of the first polarity.

In some embodiments, the first portion of pixel electrodes comprises allof the pixel electrodes of the array of pixel electrodes. In someembodiments, the first portion of pixel electrodes includes pixelelectrodes located in proximity to an outer perimeter of the array ofpixel electrodes.

In some embodiments, the method further includes applying secondmeasurement waveforms including one or more frames to a second portionof pixel electrodes of the array of pixel electrodes, where during eachframe of the second measurement waveforms the same time-dependentvoltages are applied to each pixel electrode of the second portion ofpixel electrodes; measuring a second current flowing through the currentmeasurement circuit; determining a second impedance of the electro-opticmaterial in proximity to the second portion of pixel electrodes based onthe second current flowing through the current measurement circuit andthe time-dependent voltages applied to each pixel electrode of the firstportion of pixel electrodes during the second measurement waveforms;selecting second driving waveforms to apply to each pixel electrode ofthe second portion of pixel electrodes based on the second impedance ofthe electro-optic material in proximity to the second portion of pixelelectrodes; and applying the second driving waveforms to the secondportion of pixel electrodes, where the second driving waveforms comprisetime-dependent voltages sufficient to change the optical state of theelectro-optic display in proximity to the second portion of pixelelectrodes.

In some embodiments, the first portion of pixel electrodes includespixel electrodes from a first region of the array of pixel electrodes,and the second portion of pixel electrodes includes pixel electrodesfrom a second region of the array of pixel electrodes, and the first andsecond regions of pixel electrodes do not overlap. In some embodiments,the method further includes applying zero volt waveforms to the secondportion of pixel electrodes while applying first measurement waveformsto the first portion of pixel electrodes, and applying zero voltwaveforms to the first portion of pixel electrodes while applying secondmeasurement waveforms to the second portion of pixel electrodes.

In another aspect, the subject matter presented herein provides for amethod for driving an electro-optic display including a layer ofelectro-optic material disposed between a common electrode and abackplane. The backplane includes an array of pixel electrodes, and eachpixel electrode is coupled to a pixel transistor. A display controllercircuit applies waveforms to the array of pixel electrodes by applyingone or more time-dependent voltages between the common electrode and thearray of pixel electrodes via the pixel transistors. The method fordriving includes concurrently activating pixel transistors associatedwith a first portion of pixel electrodes of the array of pixelelectrodes, and applying a first voltage to the first portion of pixelelectrodes. The method for driving also includes injecting measurementwaveforms from a signal generation circuit through a current measurementcircuit coupled between the signal generation circuit and the commonelectrode and measuring a first current flowing through the currentmeasurement circuit based on the measurement waveforms. The method fordriving also includes determining a first impedance of the electro-opticmaterial in proximity to the first portion of pixel electrodes based onthe first current flowing through the current measurement circuit andthe time-dependent voltages applied to each pixel electrode of the firstportion of pixel electrodes during the first measurement waveforms. Themethod for driving also includes selecting first driving waveforms toapply to each pixel electrode of the first portion of pixel electrodesbased on the first impedance of the electro-optic material in proximityto the first portion of pixel electrodes, and applying the first drivingwaveforms to the first portion of pixel electrodes, where the firstdriving waveforms comprise time-dependent voltages sufficient to changean optical state of the electro-optic display in proximity to the firstportion of pixel electrodes.

In some embodiments, the current measurement circuit includes aresistive element and a differential voltage amplifier, where a firstinput of the differential voltage amplifier is connected to a firstterminal of the resistive element, and a second input of thedifferential voltage amplifier is connected to a second terminal of theresistive element.

In some embodiments, the measurement waveforms comprise periodic squareor sinusoidal voltage waveforms. In some embodiments, the measurementwaveforms comprise voltages having an amplitude insufficient to changean optical state of the electro-optic display. In some embodiments, themeasurement waveforms comprise oscillating voltage waveforms having aplurality of frequencies.

In another aspect, the subject matter presented herein provides for amethod for driving an electro-optic display including an electrophoreticdisplay medium disposed between a first common electrode and an array ofpixel electrodes, where each pixel electrode is coupled to a firstterminal of a storage capacitor, and a second terminal of each storagecapacitor is coupled to second common electrode. A display controllercircuit is configured to apply time-dependent voltages to the firstcommon electrode and the second common electrode independent of oneanother. The method for driving includes concurrently activating pixeltransistors associated with a first portion of pixel electrodes. Themethod for driving also includes toggling a first switch to disconnectthe first common electrode from the display controller circuit and toconnect the first common electrode to a first terminal of an impedancemeasurement circuit, and toggling a second switch to disconnect thesecond common electrode from the display controller circuit and toconnect the second common electrode to a second terminal of theimpedance measurement circuit. The method for driving also includesinjecting measurement waveforms voltages from the impedance measurementcircuit into the first common electrode, where the measurement waveformsincluding time-dependent voltages. The method for driving also includesmeasuring a first current flowing through the impedance measurementcircuit based on the measurement waveforms, and determining a firstimpedance of the electro-optic material in proximity to the firstportion of pixel electrodes based on the first current flowing throughthe impedance measurement circuit and the time-dependent voltagesapplied to the first common electrode during the measurement waveforms.The method for driving also includes selecting first driving waveformsto apply to each pixel electrode of the first portion of pixelelectrodes based on the first impedance of the electro-optic material inproximity to the first portion of pixel electrodes. The method fordriving also includes toggling the first switch to disconnect the firstcommon electrode from the impedance measurement circuit and to connectthe first common electrode to the display controller circuit, andtoggling the second switch to disconnect the second common electrodefrom the impedance measurement circuit and to connect the second commonelectrode to the display controller circuit. The method for driving alsoincludes applying the first driving waveforms to the first portion ofpixel electrodes, where the first driving waveforms comprisetime-dependent voltages sufficient to change an optical state of theelectro-optic display in proximity to the first portion of pixelelectrodes.

In some embodiments, the measurement waveforms comprise periodic squareor sinusoidal voltage waveforms. In some embodiments, the measurementwaveforms include voltages having an amplitude insufficient to change anoptical state of the electro-optic display in proximity to the firstportion of pixel electrodes. In some embodiments, the measurementwaveforms comprise voltages having an amplitude less than one volt. Insome embodiments, the measurement waveforms include oscillating voltagewaveforms having a plurality of frequencies.

In some embodiments, the first portion of pixel electrodes includespixel electrodes located in proximity to an outer perimeter of the arrayof pixel electrodes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram representing an electrophoretic display inaccordance with the subject matter described herein.

FIG. 2 shows a circuit model of the electro-optic imaging layer inaccordance with the subject matter described herein.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing a plot of the impedance of an exemplary frontplane laminate or “FPL” versus temperature in accordance with thesubject matter described herein.

FIG. 4A shows two plots of exemplary impedance measurements performed onthree exemplary display modules in accordance with the subject matterdescribed herein.

FIG. 4B is a plot showing the ghosting performance during differentgraytone transitions in accordance with the subject matter describedherein.

FIG. 5 illustrates a diagram of an embodiment of an electrophoreticdisplay in accordance with the subject matter described herein.

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram of an embodiment of an electrophoreticdisplay in accordance with the subject matter described herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates a diagram of an embodiment of an electrophoreticdisplay in accordance with the subject matter described herein.

FIG. 8 shows a set of impedance measurement results from an exemplaryactive matrix display module using the method described herein.

FIG. 9 illustrates a diagram of an embodiment of an electrophoreticdisplay in accordance with the subject matter described herein.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary signal sequence for enabling theimpedance measurement as described herein.

FIG. 11 illustrates a diagram of an embodiment of an electrophoreticdisplay in accordance with the subject matter described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods for driving electro-opticdisplays, especially bistable electro-optic displays, and to apparatusfor use in such methods. More specifically, this invention relates todriving methods which may allow for reduced “ghosting” and edge effects,and reduced flashing in such displays. This invention is especially, butnot exclusively, intended for use with particle-based electrophoreticdisplays in which one or more types of electrically charged particlesare present in a fluid and are moved through the fluid under theinfluence of an electric field to change the appearance of the display.

The term “electro-optic”, as applied to a material or a display, is usedherein in its conventional meaning in the imaging art to refer to amaterial having first and second display states differing in at leastone optical property, the material being changed from its first to itssecond display state by application of an electric field to thematerial. Although the optical property is typically color perceptibleto the human eye, it may be another optical property, such as opticaltransmission, reflectance, luminescence or, in the case of displaysintended for machine reading, pseudo-color in the sense of a change inreflectance of electromagnetic wavelengths outside the visible range.

The term “gray state” is used herein in its conventional meaning in theimaging art to refer to a state intermediate two extreme optical statesof a pixel, and does not necessarily imply a black-white transitionbetween these two extreme states. For example, several of the E Inkpatents and published applications referred to below describeelectrophoretic displays in which the extreme states are white and deepblue, so that an intermediate “gray state” would actually be pale blue.Indeed, as already mentioned, the change in optical state may not be acolor change at all. The terms “black” and “white” may be usedhereinafter to refer to the two extreme optical states of a display, andshould be understood as normally including extreme optical states whichare not strictly black and white, for example, the aforementioned whiteand dark blue states. The term “monochrome” may be used hereinafter todenote a drive scheme which only drives pixels to their two extremeoptical states with no intervening gray states.

Some electro-optic materials are solid in the sense that the materialshave solid external surfaces, although the materials may, and often do,have internal liquid- or gas-filled spaces. Such displays using solidelectro-optic materials may hereinafter for convenience be referred toas “solid electro-optic displays”. Thus, the term “solid electro-opticdisplays” includes rotating bichromal member displays, encapsulatedelectrophoretic displays, microcell electrophoretic displays andencapsulated liquid crystal displays.

The terms “bistable” and “bistability” are used herein in theirconventional meaning in the art to refer to displays comprising displayelements having first and second display states differing in at leastone optical property, and such that after any given element has beendriven, by means of an addressing pulse of finite duration, to assumeeither its first or second display state, after the addressing pulse hasterminated, that state will persist for at least several times, forexample at least four times, the minimum duration of the addressingpulse required to change the state of the display element. It is shownin U.S. Pat. No. 7,170,670 that some particle-based electrophoreticdisplays capable of gray scale are stable not only in their extremeblack and white states but also in their intermediate gray states, andthe same is true of some other types of electro-optic displays. Thistype of display is properly called “multi-stable” rather than bistable,although for convenience the term “bistable” may be used herein to coverboth bistable and multi-stable displays.

The term “impulse” is used herein in its conventional meaning of theintegral of voltage with respect to time. However, some bistableelectro-optic media act as charge transducers, and with such media analternative definition of impulse, namely the integral of current overtime (which is equal to the total charge applied) may be used. Theappropriate definition of impulse should be used, depending on whetherthe medium acts as a voltage-time impulse transducer or a charge impulsetransducer.

Much of the discussion below will focus on methods for driving one ormore pixels of an electro-optic display through a transition from aninitial gray level to a final gray level (which may or may not bedifferent from the initial gray level). The term “waveform” will be usedto denote the entire voltage against time curve used to effect thetransition from one specific initial gray level to a specific final graylevel. Typically such a waveform will comprise a plurality of waveformelements; where these elements are essentially rectangular (i.e., wherea given element comprises application of a constant voltage for a periodof time); the elements may be called “pulses” or “drive pulses”. Theterm “drive scheme” denotes a set of waveforms sufficient to effect allpossible transitions between gray levels for a specific display. Adisplay may make use of more than one drive scheme; for example, theaforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 7,012,600 teaches that a drive scheme mayneed to be modified depending upon parameters such as the temperature ofthe display or the time for which it has been in operation during itslifetime, and thus a display may be provided with a plurality ofdifferent drive schemes to be used at differing temperature etc. A setof drive schemes used in this manner may be referred to as “a set ofrelated drive schemes.” It is also possible, as described in several ofthe aforementioned MEDEOD applications, to use more than one drivescheme simultaneously in different areas of the same display, and a setof drive schemes used in this manner may be referred to as “a set ofsimultaneous drive schemes.”

Several types of electro-optic displays are known. One type ofelectro-optic display is a rotating bichromal member type as described,for example, in U.S. Pats. Nos. 5,808,783; 5,777,782; 5,760,761;6,054,071 6,055,091; 6,097,531; 6,128,124; 6,137,467; and 6,147,791(although this type of display is often referred to as a “rotatingbichromal ball” display, the term “rotating bichromal member” ispreferred as more accurate since in some of the patents mentioned abovethe rotating members are not spherical). Such a display uses a largenumber of small bodies (typically spherical or cylindrical) which havetwo or more sections with differing optical characteristics, and aninternal dipole. These bodies are suspended within liquid-filledvacuoles within a matrix, the vacuoles being filled with liquid so thatthe bodies are free to rotate. The appearance of the display is changedby applying an electric field thereto, thus rotating the bodies tovarious positions and varying which of the sections of the bodies isseen through a viewing surface. This type of electro-optic medium istypically bistable.

Another type of electro-optic display uses an electrochromic medium, forexample an electrochromic medium in the form of a nanochromic filmcomprising an electrode formed at least in part from a semi-conductingmetal oxide and a plurality of dye molecules capable of reversible colorchange attached to the electrode; see, for example O′Regan, B., et al.,Nature 1991, 353, 737; and Wood, D., Information Display, 18(3), 24(March 2002). See also Bach, U., et al., Adv. Mater., 2002, 14(11), 845.Nanochromic films of this type are also described, for example, in U.S.Pats. Nos. 6,301,038; 6,870,657; and 6,950,220. This type of medium isalso typically bistable.

Another type of electro-optic display is an electro-wetting displaydeveloped by Philips and described in Hayes, R.A., et al., “Video-SpeedElectronic Paper Based on Electrowetting”, Nature, 425, 383-385 (2003).It is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,420,549 that such electro-wettingdisplays can be made bistable.

One type of electro-optic display, which has been the subject of intenseresearch and development for a number of years, is the particle-basedelectrophoretic display, in which a plurality of charged particles movethrough a fluid under the influence of an electric field.Electrophoretic displays can have attributes of good brightness andcontrast, wide viewing angles, state bistability, and low powerconsumption when compared with liquid crystal displays. Nevertheless,problems with the long-term image quality of these displays haveprevented their widespread usage. For example, particles that make upelectrophoretic displays tend to settle, resulting in inadequateservice-life for these displays.

As noted above, electrophoretic media require the presence of a fluid.In most prior art electrophoretic media, this fluid is a liquid, butelectrophoretic media can be produced using gaseous fluids; see, forexample, Kitamura, T., et al., “Electrical toner movement for electronicpaper-like display”, IDW Japan, 2001, Paper HCS1-1, and Yamaguchi, Y.,et al., “Toner display using insulative particles chargedtriboelectrically”, IDW Japan, 2001, Paper AMD4-4). See also U.S. Pats.Nos. 7,321,459 and 7,236,291. Such gas-based electrophoretic mediaappear to be susceptible to the same types of problems due to particlesettling as liquid-based electrophoretic media, when the media are usedin an orientation which permits such settling, for example in a signwhere the medium is disposed in a vertical plane. Indeed, particlesettling appears to be a more serious problem in gas-basedelectrophoretic media than in liquid-based ones, since the lowerviscosity of gaseous suspending fluids as compared with liquid onesallows more rapid settling of the electrophoretic particles.

Numerous patents and applications assigned to or in the names of theMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and E Ink Corporationdescribe various technologies used in encapsulated electrophoretic andother electro-optic media. Such encapsulated media comprise numeroussmall capsules, each of which itself comprises an internal phasecontaining electrophoretically-mobile particles in a fluid medium, and acapsule wall surrounding the internal phase. Typically, the capsules arethemselves held within a polymeric binder to form a coherent layerpositioned between two electrodes. The technologies described in thesepatents and applications include:

-   (a) Electrophoretic particles, fluids and fluid additives; see for    example U.S. Pats. Nos. 7,002,728 and 7,679,814;-   (b) Capsules, binders and encapsulation processes; see for example    U.S. Pats. Nos. 6,922,276 and 7,411,719;-   (c) Microcell structures, wall materials, and methods of forming    microcells; see for example U.S. Pats. Nos. 7,072,095 and 9,279,906;-   (d) Methods for filling and sealing microcells; see for example    United States Patents Nos. 7,144,942 and 7,715,088;-   (e) Films and sub-assemblies containing electro-optic materials; see    for example U.S. Pats. Nos. 6,982,178 and 7,839,564;-   (f) Backplanes, adhesive layers and other auxiliary layers and    methods used in displays; see for example U.S. Pats. Nos. 7,116,318    and 7,535,624;-   (g) Color formation and color adjustment; see for example U.S. Pats.    Nos. 7,075,502 and 7,839,564.-   (h) Applications of displays; see for example U.S. Pats. Nos.    7,312,784; 8,009,348;-   (i) Non-electrophoretic displays, as described in U.S. Pats. Nos.    6,241,921 and U.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2015/0277160;    and applications of encapsulation and microcell technology other    than displays; see for example U.S. Pat. Application Publications    Nos. 2015/0005720 and 2016/0012710; and-   (j) Methods for driving displays; see for example U.S. Pats. Nos.    5,930,026; 6,445,489; 6,504,524; 6,512,354; 6,531,997; 6,753,999;    6,825,970; 6,900,851; 6,995,550; 7,012,600; 7,023,420; 7,034,783;    7,061,166; 7,061,662; 7,116,466; 7,119,772; 7,177,066; 7,193,625;    7,202,847; 7,242,514; 7,259,744; 7,304,787; 7,312,794; 7,327,511;    7,408,699; 7,453,445; 7,492,339; 7,528,822; 7,545,358; 7,583,251;    7,602,374; 7,612,760; 7,679,599; 7,679,813; 7,683,606; 7,688,297;    7,729,039; 7,733,311; 7,733,335; 7,787,169; 7,859,742; 7,952,557;    7,956,841; 7,982,479; 7,999,787; 8,077,141; 8,125,501; 8,139,050;    8,174,490; 8,243,013; 8,274,472; 8,289,250; 8,300,006; 8,305,341;    8,314,784; 8,373,649; 8,384,658; 8,456,414; 8,462,102; 8,537,105;    8,558,783; 8,558,785; 8,558,786; 8,558,855; 8,576,164; 8,576,259;    8,593,396; 8,605,032; 8,643,595; 8,665,206; 8,681,191; 8,730,153;    8,810,525; 8,928,562; 8,928,641; 8,976,444; 9,013,394; 9,019,197;    9,019,198; 9,019,318; 9,082,352; 9,171,508; 9,218,773; 9,224,338;    9,224,342; 9,224,344; 9,230,492; 9,251,736; 9,262,973; 9,269,311;    9,299,294; 9,373,289; 9,390,066; 9,390,661; and 9,412,314; and U.S.    Pat. Applications Publication Nos. 2003/0102858; 2004/0246562;    2005/0253777; 2007/0070032; 2007/0076289; 2007/0091418;    2007/0103427; 2007/0176912; 2007/0296452; 2008/0024429;    2008/0024482; 2008/0136774; 2008/0169821; 2008/0218471;    2008/0291129; 2008/0303780; 2009/0174651; 2009/0195568;    2009/0322721; 2010/0194733; 2010/0194789; 2010/0220121;    2010/0265561; 2010/0283804; 2011/0063314; 2011/0175875;    2011/0193840; 2011/0193841; 2011/0199671; 2011/0221740;    2012/0001957; 2012/0098740; 2013/0063333; 2013/0194250;    2013/0249782; 2013/0321278; 2014/0009817; 2014/0085355;    2014/0204012; 2014/0218277; 2014/0240210; 2014/0240373;    2014/0253425; 2014/0292830; 2014/0293398; 2014/0333685;    2014/0340734; 2015/0070744; 2015/0097877; 2015/0109283;    2015/0213749; 2015/0213765; 2015/0221257; 2015/0262255;    2016/0071465; 2016/0078820; 2016/0093253; 2016/0140910; and    2016/0180777.

Many of the aforementioned patents and applications recognize that thewalls surrounding the discrete microcapsules in an encapsulatedelectrophoretic medium could be replaced by a continuous phase, thusproducing a so-called polymer-dispersed electrophoretic display, inwhich the electrophoretic medium comprises a plurality of discretedroplets of an electrophoretic fluid and a continuous phase of apolymeric material, and that the discrete droplets of electrophoreticfluid within such a polymer-dispersed electrophoretic display may beregarded as capsules or microcapsules even though no discrete capsulemembrane is associated with each individual droplet; see for example,the aforementioned 2002/0131147. Accordingly, for purposes of thepresent application, such polymer-dispersed electrophoretic media areregarded as sub-species of encapsulated electrophoretic media.

A related type of electrophoretic display is a so-called “microcellelectrophoretic display.” In a microcell electrophoretic display, thecharged particles and the suspending fluid are not encapsulated withinmicrocapsules but instead are retained within a plurality of cavitiesformed within a carrier medium, e.g., a polymeric film. See, forexample, International Application Publication No. WO 02/01281, andpublished U.S. Application No. 2002/0075556, both assigned to SipixImaging, Inc.

Many of the aforementioned E Ink and MIT patents and applications alsocontemplate microcell electrophoretic displays and polymer-dispersedelectrophoretic displays. The term “encapsulated electrophoreticdisplays” can refer to all such display types, which may also bedescribed collectively as “microcavity electrophoretic displays” togeneralize across the morphology of the walls.

Another type of electro-optic display is an electro-wetting displaydeveloped by Philips and described in Hayes, R. A., et al., “Video-SpeedElectronic Paper Based on Electrowetting,” Nature, 425, 383-385 (2003).It is shown in copending application Ser. No. 10/711,802, filed Oct. 6,2004, that such electro-wetting displays can be made bistable.

Other types of electro-optic materials may also be used. Of particularinterest, bistable ferroelectric liquid crystal displays (FLCs) areknown in the art and have exhibited remnant voltage behavior.

Although electrophoretic media may be opaque (since, for example, inmany electrophoretic media, the particles substantially blocktransmission of visible light through the display) and operate in areflective mode, some electrophoretic displays can be made to operate ina so-called “shutter mode” in which one display state is substantiallyopaque and one is light-transmissive. See, for example, the patents U.S.Pat. Nos. 6,130,774 and 6,172,798, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,872,552;6,144,361; 6,271,823; 6,225,971; and 6,184,856. Dielectrophoreticdisplays, which are similar to electrophoretic displays but rely uponvariations in electric field strength, can operate in a similar mode;see U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,346. Other types of electro-optic displays mayalso be capable of operating in shutter mode.

A high-resolution display may include individual pixels which areaddressable without interference from adjacent pixels. One way to obtainsuch pixels is to provide an array of non-linear elements, such astransistors or diodes, with at least one non-linear element associatedwith each pixel, to produce an “active matrix” display. An addressing orpixel electrode, which addresses one pixel, is connected to anappropriate voltage source through the associated non-linear element.When the non-linear element is a transistor, the pixel electrode may beconnected to the drain of the transistor, and this arrangement will beassumed in the following description, although it is essentiallyarbitrary and the pixel electrode could be connected to the source ofthe transistor. In high-resolution arrays, the pixels may be arranged ina two-dimensional array of rows and columns, such that any specificpixel is uniquely defined by the intersection of one specified row andone specified column. The sources of all the transistors in each columnmay be connected to a single column electrode, while the gates of allthe transistors in each row may be connected to a single row electrode;again the assignment of sources to rows and gates to columns may bereversed if desired.

The display may be written in a row-by-row manner. The row electrodesare connected to a row driver, which may apply to a selected rowelectrode a voltage such as to ensure that all the transistors in theselected row are conductive, while applying to all other rows a voltagesuch as to ensure that all the transistors in these non-selected rowsremain non-conductive. The column electrodes are connected to columndrivers, which place upon the various column electrodes voltagesselected to drive the pixels in a selected row to their desired opticalstates. (The aforementioned voltages are relative to a common frontelectrode which may be provided on the opposed side of the electro-opticmedium from the non-linear array and extends across the whole display.As in known in the art, voltage is relative and a measure of a chargedifferential between two points. One voltage value is relative toanother voltage value. For example, zero voltage (“0V”) refers to havingno voltage differential relative to another voltage.) After apre-selected interval known as the “line address time,” a selected rowis deselected, another row is selected, and the voltages on the columndrivers are changed so that the next line of the display is written.

An Exemplary EPD

FIG. 1 shows a schematic of a pixel 100 of an electrophoretic display orEPD in accordance with the subject matter submitted herein. Pixel 100may include an imaging film 110. In some embodiments, imaging film 110may be bistable. In some embodiments, imaging film 110 may include,without limitation, an encapsulated electrophoretic imaging film, whichmay include, for example, charged pigment particles.

Imaging film 110 may be disposed between a front electrode 102 and arear electrode 104. Front electrode 102 may be formed between theimaging film and the front of the display. In some embodiments, frontelectrode 102 may be transparent. In some embodiments, front electrode102 may be formed of any suitable transparent material, including,without limitation, indium tin oxide (ITO). Rear electrode 104 may beformed opposite a front electrode 102. In some embodiments, a parasiticcapacitance (not shown) may be formed between front electrode 102 andrear electrode 104.

Pixel 100 may be one of a plurality of pixels. The plurality of pixelsmay be arranged in a two-dimensional array of rows and columns to form amatrix, such that any specific pixel is uniquely defined by theintersection of one specified row and one specified column. In someembodiments, the matrix of pixels may be an “active matrix,” in whicheach pixel is associated with at least one non-linear circuit element120. The non-linear circuit element 120 may be coupled betweenback-plate electrode 104 and an addressing electrode 108. In someembodiments, non-linear element 120 may include a diode and/or atransistor, including, without limitation, a MOSFET. The drain (orsource) of the MOSFET may be coupled to back-plate electrode 104, thesource (or drain) of the MOSFET may be coupled to addressing electrode108, and the gate of the MOSFET may be coupled to a driver electrode 106configured to control the activation and deactivation of the MOSFET.(For simplicity, the terminal of the MOSFET coupled to back-plateelectrode 104 will be referred to as the MOSFET’s drain, and theterminal of the MOSFET coupled to addressing electrode 108 will bereferred to as the MOSFET’s source. However, one of ordinary skill inthe art will recognize that, in some embodiments, the source and drainof the MOSFET may be interchanged.)

In some embodiments of the active matrix, the addressing electrodes 108of all the pixels in each column may be connected to a same columnelectrode, and the driver electrodes 106 of all the pixels in each rowmay be connected to a same row electrode. The row electrodes may beconnected to a row driver, which may select one or more rows of pixelsby applying to the selected row electrodes a voltage sufficient toactivate the non-linear elements 120 of all the pixels 100 in theselected row(s). The column electrodes may be connected to columndrivers, which may place upon the addressing electrode 106 of a selected(activated) pixel a voltage suitable for driving the pixel into adesired optical state. The voltage applied to an addressing electrode108 may be relative to the voltage applied to the pixel’s front-plateelectrode 102 (e.g., a voltage of approximately zero volts). In someembodiments, the front-plate electrodes 102 of all the pixels in theactive matrix may be coupled to a common electrode.

In some embodiments, the pixels 100 of the active matrix may be writtenin a row-by-row manner. For example, a row of pixels may be selected bythe row driver, and the voltages corresponding to the desired opticalstates for the row of pixels may be applied to the pixels by the columndrivers. After a pre-selected interval known as the “line address time,”the selected row may be deselected, another row may be selected, and thevoltages on the column drivers may be changed so that another line ofthe display is written.

FIG. 2 shows a circuit model of the electro-optic imaging layer 110disposed between the front electrode 102 and the rear electrode 104 inaccordance with the subject matter presented herein. Resistor 202 andcapacitor 204 may represent the resistance and capacitance of theelectro-optic imaging layer 110, the front electrode 102 and the rearelectrode 104, including any adhesive layers. Resistor 212 and capacitor214 may represent the resistance and capacitance of a laminationadhesive layer. Capacitor 216 may represent a capacitance that may formbetween the front electrode 102 and the back electrode 104, for example,interfacial contact areas between layers, such as the interface betweenthe imaging layer and the lamination adhesive layer and/or between thelamination adhesive layer and the backplane electrode. A voltage Viacross a pixel’s imaging film 110 may include the pixel’s remnantvoltage

It has been observed that the performance of an electrophoretic displaycan vary according to environmental conditions. For example, variationsin the impedance of the front panel laminate (“FPL”) can be correlatedto fluctuations in temperature. Accordingly, impedance measurements,such as measurements of the front plane laminate impedance, can provideuseful insight into operational characteristics of an electrophoreticdisplay and the display’s ink system.

FIG. 3 is a graph 300 showing a plot 305 of the impedance of anexemplary front plane laminate versus temperature. In particular, graph300 shows a plot 305 of the FPL impedance Z_(real) in MΩcm² at 10 Hz onthe Y-axis versus temperature in Celsius on the x-axis. As illustratedby graph 300, FPL impedance decreases as temperature increases. Itshould be appreciated that the FPL referred to herein may include, butis not limited to, an electrophoretic display’s light transmissiveelectrically conductive layer, a layer of an electro-optic medium, andan adhesive layer. In some embodiments, this impedance measurementinformation may be used instead of temperature measurements for waveformselection to optimize display performance.

FIG. 4A shows two plots of exemplary impedance measurements performed onthree exemplary display modules across different waveform frequencies at28° C. are shown, where two of the modules, 1 and 3, have very similarimpedances, while module 2 shows a different impedance than the othertwo.

FIG. 4B is a plot showing the ghosting performance during differentgraytone transitions, for example a display capable of four-bit, 16 graylevels denoted from 1 (black) to 16 (white) with transitions (e.g.,{GT1,GT2, ..., GT15}→{GT1,GT2,.. GT16}) using the same driving waveformsas were used for FIG. 4A at 28° C. The x-axis of this figure indicatesthe different graytone transitions. As shown, the ghosting performanceof module 1 is fairly similar to module 3 with module 2 having a verydifferent ghosting performance. The ghosting results correlate to theimpedance measurements shown in FIG. 4A. As such, it can be inferredthat impedance measurements can be used as a measure of opticalperformance, and that modules having similar impedance behave similarlyoptically and can thus be driven similarly.

FIG. 5 illustrates a diagram of an electrophoretic display 500. In thisembodiment, a controller’s 502 output synchronized source 506 and gate508 line voltage to scan the display pixels sequentially. A DC voltagemay be supplied through the Vcom 504 line to a top plane 510 during eachupdate.

In practice, it may be desirable to access the pixel electrodes of anactive matrix display using external instruments to measure electricalproperties directly by applying signals. Depending on what signal isused as input, the electrical properties measured can include, but arenot limited to, current, resistance, charge, capacitance, timeconstants, phase shifts, magnitude and frequency peaks.

Referring now to FIG. 6 , one method to measure the electricalproperties is to update an active matrix display 600 using a knownwaveform while measuring the ink layer’s 602 electrical response throughthe common electrode. In this method, the voltage applied to all thepixel electrodes during each frame is the same. Therefore, at the end ofeach frame a uniform electric field may be formed across the ink withinthe display area updated. The electrical response measured through thecommon electrode can thus reflect the average electrical properties ofthe updated area. For example, the pixels of the active-matrix backplanemay be brought to a non-zero voltage while the current through the Vcom604 line is measured. The current transient during and just after avoltage pulse on the backplane can reveal area-averaged electricalproperties of the display 600 such as properties related to sheetresistance and sheet capacitance. In this configuration, since thewaveform is applied to the pixels by the source and gate drivers in thecontroller, this method can be used when the active matrix display 400is operating under a normal scanning mode.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 , a current measurement circuit 606 may beinserted between the Vcom line 604 and the top plane electrode 608. Insome embodiments, this current measure circuit may include a smallresistance (e.g., approximately 500 ohms) and a differential voltageamplifier with an input line applied across the resistor. In thisconfiguration, the resistance of the resistor may be small enough to notsubstantially affect display’s 600 operation, but large enough to give avoltage signal in proportion to the current running through the Vcomline 604. In operation, as the display 600 is updated, the waveform andimage are selected so that the same time-dependent voltage is applied toall pixels. This time-dependent voltage may be a simple voltage pulse,for example, a uniform voltage applied for a finite length of time. Inanother embodiment, the time-dependent voltage may include twoconsecutive pulses of opposite amplitude. The current may be measured asa function of time across the entire display addressing event. Thecurrent over a time period covering a portion of the latter part of eachpulse may be averaged. The value is, in an approximated way,proportional to an effective resistance or impedance of the displayfilm. This effective impedance may be correlated to electro-opticalbehavior of the display film, and so, may be used to select anappropriate waveform for updating in standard display operation. Thismeasurement method offers the flexibility to perform selective regionalor local measurements while not affecting the normal scanning operationsof the display.

In another embodiment, a fraction of the display pixels may be drivenwhile the current through the Vcom 604 line is measured. In thisconfiguration, the current transient gives area-averaged electricalproperties of the display, but only averaged over the area of the pixelsthat are driven. In this instance, “drive” is defined such that thedriven pixels are receiving a non-zero voltage while the rest of thepixels are not driven, that is, the non-driven pixels receive zerovoltage bias. In this fashion, the electrical properties of just theleft half of the display 600 can be measured by applying a non-zerovoltage to pixels of only the left half of the display and measuring thecurrent through the Vcom 604 line. Of course, one this example can beextended to measure electrical properties of any sub-area of the displayby selecting pixels to receive non-zero voltage in just that area. Thisconfiguration can also be extended to driving a non-contiguous set ofdisplay pixels.

In operation, various waveforms may be adopted to perform thearea-specific electrical measurements. “Waveform” is defined herein as aset of voltage lists to make transitions from graytone of one grayscaleto a graytone of the same or different grayscale. In some embodiments,electrical properties measured in a certain area of a display can beused as input to select an appropriate waveform to be applied to thatarea of the display. This can be done for multiple areas of a display,and various waveforms may be chosen to make desired transitions invarious regions of a display. For example, a full waveform file maycontain many temperature-appropriate waveforms designed to makedesirable transitions across specific temperature bands, with onewaveform for each temperature band. In some embodiments, an input from atemperature sensor may be used to select an appropriate waveform for ameasured temperature. For example, a controller could take as input boththe temperature and region-specific electrical information. Theregion-specific electrical information could be used to give informationabout temperature differences between various parts of the display andone could shift which waveform gets applied to various parts of thedisplay based upon the electrical measurements. When an electricalmeasurement gives an indication that there is a temperature differencebetween a left and right half of a display, this information could beused to select two different waveforms, one for the left half of thedisplay and one for the right, based upon an estimate of the temperaturedifference inferred from region-specific electrical measurements. Onecould also extend this concept to select waveforms based solely uponelectrical measurements, that is, a temperature sensor would not need tobe used.

In one embodiment, source drivers 610 may be used to drive the “drivenpixels” at voltages sufficiently low that the electrical measurements donot significantly perturb the display image. In another embodiment,electrical measurements may be made using very short voltage pulses sothe display image is not substantially perturbed during the electricalmeasurements. In yet another embodiment, the seam between two adjacentregions where two distinct waveforms are applied may be “blurred”through a dither mask between the two regions, where the dither patterndetermines which pixels receive which of the two waveforms. The dithercan be set up to provide a gradient from one region where all pixelsreceive one waveform and the adjacent region where all pixels receive asecond waveform, with a smooth transition in the local fraction ofpixels receiving each of the two waveforms across the region ofdithering.

As such, when a display has substantial temperature differences acrossits surface, and where a single waveform applied across the entiredisplay would have given undesirable performance, using the drivingmethods or schemes described herein enables a selection of variouswaveforms to be applied to various fractions of a display surface tocompensate for temperature variations across the display surface.

In another method, referring now to FIG. 7 , an active matrix display700 may be updated using an external source through the commonelectrode, and the electrical response of the ink 702 may be measured onthe same Vcom line 704. A known voltage signal may be injected throughthe common electrode, while all the pixel electrodes are connected to aknown voltage, for example, a ground. To close the circuit loop, all theTFTs of the active matrix are turned on simultaneously. In thisconfiguration, all the display electrodes can be treated as one singleelectrode covering the entire display area. More flexibility is gainedin this method because an arbitrary signal can be applied to the commonelectrode without the limitations due to the scanning operationrequirements. From the signal generator 706 output and the measuredelectrical response one can deduce the electrical properties of theelectrophoretic layers.

In use, by way of example, a low-amplitude voltage may be applied by thesignal generator 706 shown in FIG. 7 to the top plane 708. This voltagemay be of sufficiently low in amplitude such that it does not perturbthe optical state of the display to a degree that is apparent to acasual observer, and yet large enough to allow for a sufficientsignal-to-noise ratio for the current measurement to give reliableinformation. In some embodiments, voltages in the 10-100 mV range may beused here. In another embodiment, an oscillating voltage may be appliedover a finite time, for example, a 50 mV, one-Hertz square wave or asinusoidal wave. The in-phase portion of the current can be measured togive a value that correlates to an effective resistance of the display.Where this effective resistance may be correlated to electro-opticalbehavior of the display film, and by doing so, may be used to select anappropriate waveform for updating in standard display operation. Forexample, if sinusoids of different frequencies is applied to the topplane 708, at each frequency one may calculate the impedance of thedisplay 700 from the electrical response.

FIG. 8 shows a set of impedance measurement results from an exemplaryactive matrix display module using the method described herein. Thesetup described herein provides a flexibility on what type of inputsignal may be used and what electrical properties may be measured, andcan be easily performed to measure the entire display module.

Referring now to FIG. 9 , in one embodiment, an impedance measurementmay be taken on the entire active matrix display area. In thisconfiguration, the VCOM line of the display, which typically supplies acommon bias voltage to the display’s front plane or top electrode andthe display’s transistor array, can be split into two lines. One line isthe VCOM_TFT 916, which supplies a bias voltage to the display’stransistor network or the active matrix of thin film transistors (TFT),typically by supplying a bias voltage to the terminal of each pixel’sstorage capacitor opposite the terminal connected to the pixelelectrode. The other line is VCOM_FPL 912, which supplies a bias voltageto the display’s front plane or top electrode.

As shown in FIG. 9 , this setup or configuration may include an activematrix display module 901 which includes a display controller circuitthat can be made up of an active matrix display and a source/gatedriver, an EPD controller 902, a power management integrated circuit(PMIC) 903 that controls the supply of the high (i.e., VGH) and low(i.e., VGL) gate voltages, the source voltages (VPOS and VNEG), bothVCOM voltages, as well as a signal that can turn on all the transistorsof the active matrix (e.g., XON signal), a host processing unit 904, atemperature sensor 905, and circuitry 906 for performing the impedancemeasurements. The circuitry can be configured to be able to performmeasurements at a single frequency or to sweep across differentfrequencies, and one or more switches 907, 908 are included for enablingnormal driving when closed and performing impedance measurements whenopened.

In some embodiments, to activate the impedance measurements, the gatehigh voltage or VGH is first set to a voltage between 2 volts to 10volts. Subsequently, a signal can be sent to turn on all the transistorsin the active matrix. This signal can be one known in the art to performsuch a task, such as an XON signal. The XON signal may be enabled eitherfrom the PMIC 903 or from the GPIO of the EPD controller 902.Subsequently, the impedance measurement circuit 906 may be enabled bysetting a signal (e.g., IMP-EN 910) to an appropriate voltage level.Once the impedance measurement circuit 906 is enabled, the switches 907and 908 may be set to an open state, thereby isolating the VCOM_FPL 912line to the active matrix module 901. A sinusoidal voltage signal of agiven frequency V may be sent to the VCOM_FPL line 912, allowing accessto the display’s 901 top electrode. The amplitude of this signal may beset to be small (e.g., less than 1 volt) such that it does not excitethe nonlinearities of the ink system. Also, because of the signal’ssmall voltage amplitude, the optical effects are minimal and typicallynot noticeable to a viewer when the impedance measurement is active.

In some embodiments, when the XON signal and the VGH voltage are bothon, access to all the pixelated electrodes can be achieved through theground line GND 914. And the current drawn on the VCOM_FPL line 912 maybe measured in the impedance circuit 906. Where the voltage and currentmay be analyzed and electrical properties such as phase shift may beobtained. In practice, the impedance measurement may be frequency f [Hz]dependent. For example, five to 10 cycles of measurement data may needto be firstly collected before the data can be analyzed. As such, aminimum measurement time of 5/f [s] is needed, which at 1 Hz is at least5 s, while at 10 Hz it will be only 0.5 s.

Referring now to the signal diagram shown in FIG. 10 , after an activeupdate 1002, the IMP-EN switch may be switched on as well as the gatehigh voltage VGH. And for the duration 1004 where VGH is turned on, theimpedance measurements can be taken. It should be appreciated thatmeasurements of impedance using the methods described herein may betaken while the display is idling, in which case a complete frequencyscan may be performed.

In yet another embodiment, impedance measurements may be obtained froman unused area of the module, for example, in the border area around theouter perimeter of the pixel array. In this case, referring now to FIG.11 , direct access to the bottom electrode of the border area may beachieved through a border electrode line (e.g., BORDER line 1130). Insome embodiments, the high gate voltage and the XON signal may not needto be activated and measurements can be taken at any time. As shown inFIG. 11 , the XON signal accessibility is no longer needed and themeasurements may be done across the BORDER 1130 and the VCOM_FPL 1112lines.

In another embodiment, a dedicated area may be designed into an activematrix module for the purpose of impedance measurements.

The use of impedance measurements for waveform selection according tothe subject matter presented herein instead of using temperature sensormeasurements has the advantage of achieving better performance on adisplay. This is at least partially due to the fact that impedance is adirect measurement of the ink system as opposed to a separatetemperature sensor in the device that can only approximate thetemperature in which the ink system is experiencing. The impedancemeasurements can be used to quantify the aging of the display module.This information may be used to assist the selection of appropriatewaveform to load to compensate for the aging of the module. With adatabase of waveforms tied to different impedance data, it is possiblefor a given time and module, to select the best waveform that can matchthe closest to the device-level impedance information.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changesand modifications can be made to the specific embodiments of theinvention described above without departing from the scope of theinvention. Accordingly, the whole of the foregoing description is to beinterpreted in an illustrative and not in a limitative sense.

1. A method for driving an electro-optic display comprising a layer ofelectro-optic material disposed between a common electrode and abackplane, the backplane including an array of pixel electrodes, whereineach pixel electrode is coupled to a pixel transistor, wherein a displaycontroller circuit applies waveforms to the array of pixel electrodes byapplying one or more time-dependent voltages between the commonelectrode and the array of pixel electrodes via the pixel transistors,the method for driving comprising: applying first measurement waveformscomprising one or more frames to a first portion of pixel electrodes ofthe array of pixel electrodes, wherein during each frame of the firstmeasurement waveforms the same time-dependent voltages are applied toeach pixel electrode of the first portion of pixel electrodes; measuringa first current flowing through a current measurement circuit coupledbetween the common electrode and an output of the display controllercircuit that applies time-dependent voltages to the common electrode;determining a first impedance of the electro-optic material in proximityto the first portion of pixel electrodes based on the first currentflowing through the current measurement circuit and the time-dependentvoltages applied to each pixel electrode of the first portion of pixelelectrodes during the first measurement waveforms; selecting firstdriving waveforms to apply to each pixel electrode of the first portionof pixel electrodes based on the first impedance of the electro-opticmaterial in proximity to the first portion of pixel electrodes; andapplying the first driving waveforms to the first portion of pixelelectrodes, wherein the first driving waveforms comprise time-dependentvoltages sufficient to change an optical state of the electro-opticdisplay in proximity to the first portion of pixel electrodes.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the current measurement circuit comprises aresistive element and a differential voltage amplifier, wherein a firstinput of the differential voltage amplifier is connected to a firstterminal of the resistive element, and a second input of thedifferential voltage amplifier is connected to a second terminal of theresistive element.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the time-dependentvoltages applied to each pixel electrode of the first portion of pixelelectrodes comprise a uniform voltage pulse.
 4. The method of claim 1wherein the time-dependent voltages applied to each pixel electrode ofthe first portion of pixel electrodes comprise a first voltage pulsehaving a first polarity, and a second voltage pulse having a secondpolarity opposite of the first polarity.
 5. The method of claim 1wherein the first portion of pixel electrodes comprises all of the pixelelectrodes of the array of pixel electrodes.
 6. The method of claim 1wherein the first portion of pixel electrodes comprises pixel electrodeslocated in proximity to an outer perimeter of the array of pixelelectrodes.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising applying secondmeasurement waveforms comprising one or more frames to a second portionof pixel electrodes of the array of pixel electrodes, wherein duringeach frame of the second measurement waveforms the same time-dependentvoltages are applied to each pixel electrode of the second portion ofpixel electrodes; measuring a second current flowing through the currentmeasurement circuit; determining a second impedance of the electro-opticmaterial in proximity to the second portion of pixel electrodes based onthe second current flowing through the current measurement circuit andthe time-dependent voltages applied to each pixel electrode of the firstportion of pixel electrodes during the second measurement waveforms;selecting second driving waveforms to apply to each pixel electrode ofthe second portion of pixel electrodes based on the second impedance ofthe electro-optic material in proximity to the second portion of pixelelectrodes; and applying the second driving waveforms to the secondportion of pixel electrodes, wherein the second driving waveformscomprise time-dependent voltages sufficient to change the optical stateof the electro-optic display in proximity to the second portion of pixelelectrodes.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the first portion of pixelelectrodes comprises pixel electrodes from a first region of the arrayof pixel electrodes, and the second portion of pixel electrodescomprises pixel electrodes from a second region of the array of pixelelectrodes, and wherein the first and second regions of pixel electrodesdo not overlap.
 9. The method of claim 7 further comprising applyingzero volt waveforms to the second portion of pixel electrodes whileapplying first measurement waveforms to the first portion of pixelelectrodes; and applying zero volt waveforms to the first portion ofpixel electrodes while applying second measurement waveforms to thesecond portion of pixel electrodes.
 10. A method for driving anelectro-optic display comprising a layer of electro-optic materialdisposed between a common electrode and a backplane, the backplaneincluding an array of pixel electrodes, wherein each pixel electrode iscoupled to a pixel transistor, wherein a display controller circuitapplies waveforms to the array of pixel electrodes by applying one ormore time-dependent voltages between the common electrode and the arrayof pixel electrodes via the pixel transistors, the method for drivingcomprising: concurrently activating pixel transistors associated with afirst portion of pixel electrodes of the array of pixel electrodes;applying a first voltage to the first portion of pixel electrodes;injecting measurement waveforms from a signal generation circuit througha current measurement circuit coupled between the signal generationcircuit and the common electrode; measuring a first current flowingthrough the current measurement circuit based on the measurementwaveforms; determining a first impedance of the electro-optic materialin proximity to the first portion of pixel electrodes based on the firstcurrent flowing through the current measurement circuit and thetime-dependent voltages applied to each pixel electrode of the firstportion of pixel electrodes during the first measurement waveforms;selecting first driving waveforms to apply to each pixel electrode ofthe first portion of pixel electrodes based on the first impedance ofthe electro-optic material in proximity to the first portion of pixelelectrodes; and applying the first driving waveforms to the firstportion of pixel electrodes, wherein the first driving waveformscomprise time-dependent voltages sufficient to change an optical stateof the electro-optic display in proximity to the first portion of pixelelectrodes.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the current measurementcircuit comprises a resistive element and a differential voltageamplifier, wherein a first input of the differential voltage amplifieris connected to a first terminal of the resistive element, and a secondinput of the differential voltage amplifier is connected to a secondterminal of the resistive element.
 12. The method of claim 10 whereinthe measurement waveforms comprise periodic square or sinusoidal voltagewaveforms.
 13. The method of claim 10 wherein the measurement waveformscomprise voltages having an amplitude insufficient to change an opticalstate of the electro-optic display.
 14. The method of claim 10 whereinthe measurement waveforms comprise oscillating voltage waveforms havinga plurality of frequencies.
 15. A method for driving an electro-opticdisplay, the electro-optic display comprising an electrophoretic displaymedium disposed between a first common electrode and an array of pixelelectrodes, wherein each pixel electrode is coupled to a first terminalof a storage capacitor, wherein a second terminal of each storagecapacitor is coupled to second common electrode, and wherein a displaycontroller circuit is configured to apply time-dependent voltages to thefirst common electrode and the second common electrode independent ofone another, the method for driving comprising: concurrently activatingpixel transistors associated with a first portion of pixel electrodes;toggling a first switch to disconnect the first common electrode fromthe display controller circuit and to connect the first common electrodeto a first terminal of an impedance measurement circuit; toggling asecond switch to disconnect the second common electrode from the displaycontroller circuit and to connect the second common electrode to asecond terminal of the impedance measurement circuit; injectingmeasurement waveforms voltages from the impedance measurement circuitinto the first common electrode, the measurement waveforms comprisingtime-dependent voltages; measuring a first current flowing through theimpedance measurement circuit based on the measurement waveforms;determining a first impedance of the electro-optic material in proximityto the first portion of pixel electrodes based on the first currentflowing through the impedance measurement circuit and the time-dependentvoltages applied to the first common electrode during the measurementwaveforms; selecting first driving waveforms to apply to each pixelelectrode of the first portion of pixel electrodes based on the firstimpedance of the electro-optic material in proximity to the firstportion of pixel electrodes; toggling the first switch to disconnect thefirst common electrode from the impedance measurement circuit and toconnect the first common electrode to the display controller circuit;toggling the second switch to disconnect the second common electrodefrom the impedance measurement circuit and to connect the second commonelectrode to the display controller circuit; and applying the firstdriving waveforms to the first portion of pixel electrodes, wherein thefirst driving waveforms comprise time-dependent voltages sufficient tochange an optical state of the electro-optic display in proximity to thefirst portion of pixel electrodes.
 16. The method of claim 15 whereinthe measurement waveforms comprise periodic square or sinusoidal voltagewaveforms.
 17. The method of claim 15 wherein the measurement waveformscomprise voltages having an amplitude insufficient to change an opticalstate of the electro-optic display in proximity to the first portion ofpixel electrodes.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the measurementwaveforms comprise voltages having an amplitude less than one volt. 19.The method of claim 15 wherein the measurement waveforms compriseoscillating voltage waveforms having a plurality of frequencies.
 20. Themethod of claim 15 wherein the first portion of pixel electrodescomprises pixel electrodes located in proximity to an outer perimeter ofthe array of pixel electrodes.